Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 137
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
दृष्ट्वा पराहतं सैन्यमन्धको ऽपि महासुरः / पराङ्मुखोरणात् तस्मात् पलायत महाजवः
dṛṣṭvā parāhataṃ sainyamandhako 'pi mahāsuraḥ / parāṅmukhoraṇāt tasmāt palāyata mahājavaḥ
Voyant son armée entièrement écrasée, Andhaka aussi—le grand Asura—détourna le visage du combat et s’enfuit de ce champ de bataille avec une vitesse prodigieuse.
Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic battle episode to the sages (frame narration)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
This verse is primarily narrative (a battlefield reversal) rather than a direct Atman-teaching; indirectly, it underscores the Purāṇic ethic that ego-driven power (āsurī-bhāva) collapses when dharma prevails—preparing the ground for later, explicit spiritual instruction.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this line; it functions as itihāsa-style narrative. In Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such episodes contrast restless, fear-driven flight with the steadiness (sthiti) cultivated by dhyāna and disciplined conduct.
The verse itself does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu; it belongs to the Purva-bhaga’s narrative layer. Within the Kurma Purana’s overall non-sectarian framing, these victories are typically read as dharma upheld through the unified auspice of the divine, later articulated more explicitly in its synthesizing teachings.